A few days ago, the final draw (the draw of 8 groups – with 32 countries participate in – ) had already been implemented. It means that the World Cup is now just a matter of time, and surely, some preparation for that biggest event in the world of football will take place in Russia.

According to the official website of FIFA, as the host, Rusia will open the event by playing against Saudi Arabia at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on June 14 in Group A. While the defending champions, Germany, is scheduled to join the tough Group F along with Sweden, Mexico, and the Republic of Korea.

Referring to FIFA or Coca-Cola World Ranking November, the toughest group in this event is Group D which includes France, Peru, Denmark, and Australia. Well, it would not be harmful if we review the World Cup 2018 for a moment, especially those which are related to some unique facts of and the preparations for the biggest football event in the world.

No sex allowed

Some countries participating in the World Cup strictly prohibit their football players to have sex during the World Cup event took place. These countries include Mexico, Germany, and Chile. Although it sounds weird, the rule will be considered as logical if you know the reason that lies behind it. According to the coaches, sex can significantly interfere the players’ concentration and drain their energy, as well. However, this ban does not apply to some other teams, such as America and Brazil. As reported by the Washington post, United States team coach, Juergen Klinsmann, allows the players to have sex regularly.

Zabivaka the mascot

The official Russian World Cup 2018 mascot is named Zabivaka! In Russian Zabivaka means “people who create scores”. Based on FIFA’s official website, the name of this mascot is perfect for wolves that represents pleasure, charm and confidence.

For your information, the official mascot will play a very important role in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Wolves, the creatures which are represented by the charming mascot, will not only promote the event and entertain the audience at the stadium, but also become the ambassador to Russia. Previously, more than a million Russians voted at FIFA.com during a month-long election period. They were asked to choose three candidates for this world cup mascot before Zabivaka the wolf was finally chosen. agen sbobet

The Ball

The official world cup is a re-invention of the latest classic and technological models. Adidas, the brand that made this ball, inaugurated the ball for the 2018 World Cup official Russia match. The remake of this classic model, quoted by FIFA, is the first tribute that has ever been received by Adidas. The World Cup Soccer Telstar 18 does, indeed, evoke the unforgettable memories of the 1970 FIFA World Cup, as well as legends such as Pelé, Giacinto Facchetti, Pedro Rocha, Gerd Müller, and Bobby Moore. The Argentina star, Lionel Messi, even said that he was lucky to get to know this ball a little earlier than the others, and he also managed to try it out. He admitted that he loved all about the ball: the new designs, colors, everything.

The name Telstar itself comes from its status as “television star”. The first balls are decorated with black panel. Actually, the pattern is designed to stand out on black-and-white TV, and it did change the design of the soccer ball forever. Nearly 50 years later, Telstar 18 featured new carcasses, high technology and sustainable elements like recycled packaging. It also includes embedded NFC chips, which allow consumers to interact with the ball using a smartphone. It is amazing, isn’t it?

The emblem/ the logo

The official emblem of the 2018 World Cup Russia adopts a universally well-known meaning that can be clearly seen from its outline. The thickening of gold, red, blue and black colors in the emblem was actually inspired by the ancient techniques seen in the world of art and the earliest iconic staining in the state of Russia. At the top part of the emblem, you can see a “magic ball” logo. This magic ball at the top of the emblem highlights the love of the world football enthusiasts to the event. In addition, this symbol component combines the unique attributes of the World Cup and Russia as the host country. It brings together magic and dream, as the competition will take place to entertain millions of fans by 2018.

The 2018 World Cup Poster design

The 2018 World Cup posters were released not long ago. It was officially announced just 3 days before the 2018 World Cup group division. The Moscow Metro Station was the station chosen to officially release the World Cup poster. What makes it interesting is the fact that FIFA includes the image of Lev Yashin’s, the Soviet Union’s legendary goalkeeper, as a figure in this official poster. According to Fatma Samoura, the General Secretary of FIFA, the official FIFA 2018 World Cup poster is a reflection and artistic legacy of Russian football itself.

In addition, according to Vitaly Mutko, the Chairman of Russia’s 2018 Local Executive Committee, the poster will be one of the most impressive symbols of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. He is sure that fans and attendees will also approve it.

The official music anthem

The official music anthem is sung by Polina Gagarin & Egor Krid from Russia. For your information, on July 25 2015, Polina also performed during the closing of 2018 World Cup qualification in Saint Petersburg, which was also aired on international television. She was a coach on the Russian Voice show, especially in the fourth and fifth series.

The Stadiums

There are several stadiums that will be chosen as the location of the 2018 World Cup matches in Russia. To be remembered, the stadium that will be used for the opening and closing of the world cup is the Luzhniki Stadium. The stadium itself has a capacity of 80,000 people and is located in Moscow.

Million-dollar prize

Not only the World Cup trophy, but million-dollar prize will be given to the first winner of the event. The prize is said to reach 35 million dollars! Meanwhile, the runner up team will bring home 25 million dollars. For the team included in the top 32, they are also awarded with 8-million-dollar cash.

It seems like Russia is doing their best to prepare for welcoming the 2018 World Cup. Alexey Sorokin as head of the local World Cup 2018 organizers said that the two biggest stadiums in Saint Petersburg and Moscow have been 85% ready. To the forum at the FIFA Congress in Mexico City, Mexico, he also gave information about the other seven stadiums that will be completed soon. The head of Russia’s 2018 World Cup Committee insists that preparations are in line with the schedule, although there are still some stadium infrastructures and transport constructions are prepared. They are quite optimist that they will not be late. They have a lot of infrastructure, and one of the biggest facilities to be considered is transportation.

Meanwhile, Colin Smith as Director of the FIFA competition said that there is monitoring of infrastructure projects in Russia by experts of the football world. According to Sorokin, there are, indeed, technical problems such as the breaking of several cranes in Samara or the problem of excess water at the Stadium in Kaliningrad, but the road construction is still done well.

As we know, it is the very first opportunity that is given to Russia to become the host of the 2018 World Cup. We also know that the last couple of years, the preparation has become the major consideration of the Russia government. Something that not all of us know is the fact that behind a beautiful building and a comfortable stadium to greet the guests, we can also find the other facts which are quite surprising. What are the things that you probably do not know about the preparations to welcome the greatest event in the world of football? Here are the facts that might surprise you.

A Stadium which are built on the swamp

In Kaliningrad, one of the cities being pointed out as the host of the next World Cup event, the concerned parties decided that an island which is located between two rivers in the center of the big city was the most appropriate place to build a stadium with a capacity of 45 thousand seats. It would, indeed, become a brilliant idea, only if there were no swamps with a depth of the swam reaches up to fifty meters. Any attempt to drain and build such a big stadium on it always ends in failure, considering the fact that the water will certainly come back. The stadium was finally built on the pillars. A total of 25 thousand pillars were then installed on the ground with the plate facing upwards. Besides, there is also a consequence of building a stadium here. The quantity of the seats should be reduced, from 45 thousand based on the first plan, to 35 thousand. For your information, in the summer, this phenomenal stadium is prepared to facilitate at least five matches in the preliminary round.

Moscow was rebuilt

For several years, the capital city was full of potholes covered by fences. The life of the people in Moscow turned into hell when it was aggravated by the sounds of reconstruction and road repairs. The reconstruction covers 119 roads in total. Five thousand old buildings were destroyed and a metro line on the ground was built. It seems that some parties in the city council believe that nothing is impossible. If you have not been to Moscow yet after a while, you will be definitely surprised.

The Zenit Arena was finally completed

The Zenit arena is known as one of the most expensive and longest established sports infrastructure projects in Saint Peterburg. Nobody wants this development to take up to nine years, but the deadline keeps being postponed. As a result, the stadium became a legend even before the inauguration. There is some speculation on the Internet and TV about why its development lasts such a long time.

The secret to Zenit Arena’s high cost is finally revealed. The stadium was completed in 2017, and the costs increased significantly from 6.7 billion rubles to 43 billion rubles. It was almost similar to the cost of Wembley Stadium in London.

The Minister of sport learns to speak English well

Most of us probably still remember that the former Russian Sports Minister, Vitaly Mutko, became a subject of internet memes back in 2010, right after he gave a speech or a Russian bid presentation to host the 2018 World Cup. The phenomenal words were “Let me speak from my heart,” After giving that line, he continued his English with a thick Russian accent. And now, the former Russian Sport Minister has become the Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister of Sports Affairs.

Afterwards, internet users also discovered that his assistants specifically wrote speeches in Cyrus (the Russian alphabet) for Mutko because his English proficiency was very bad, but that did not make things better. The sentence was widely spread and Mutko’s ability in speaking English is immortalized through songs that we can find on YouTube. Because of this condition, the minister finally decided to learn how to speak English appropriately.

His effort can be seen in 2015, when he successfully managed to explain the situation and what was happening in regard to the World Cup preparation in just a single sentence: “Is very good temp, open new stadium, no problem, no criminality”. Soon after saying the utterances, he mixed up the Russian with English. What makes it interesting is the fact that for the minister’s birthday, he was awarded an English study book by Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Finally, a couple of years later, the well-known minister admitted that he had learned the language and the book Putin gave him just “by its cover” and then decided to move on to learning another language, Spanish.

Many unpleasant street shops were condemned

In order to maintain the beautiful scenery, all the cities which will become the host of the game have been ‘cleansed’ from street kiosks, shopping spaces, and bus stops that are considered to be aesthetically unpleasing. In the second home town of Gérard Depardieu, Saransk, about 50 dachas (Russian villas) were destroyed. In addition, you can find that the kiosks in Moscow which are located outside the metro station – where people can buy anything, from display to panties – disappeared in just a single night. In modern Russian history, there has never been a destruction with such a ‘passion’ like this.

Factory operations were temporarily suspended

During the 2018 World Cup, the host cities will become the safest place on earth. In pursuing this goal, even a very high loss of value will not be considered as a serious obstacle – for a month, all large companies classed as “dangerous producers of production” are instructed not to operate. Even the productions of animal woof are asked to be temporarily stopped.

Ah the world cup. There is no sport competition in the world that is more prestigious than this one (well, aside from the famed super bowl of course, but that one stays in North America), and it is only right if you got many people talking about it. Football is a sport that connects people from all over the world. Whether it is a friendly rivalry or the similar euphoria that the world felt, the FIFA world cup is a competition that gives fans something to wait and cheer for. Many football fans (and non-football fans sometime) all around the world, be they from developed or developing countries, have awaited this moment.

In today’s article, I would like to talk about the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup. This World Cup takes place in Russia, the great ‘almost’ northern country. Russia itself is a great country, a place that is filled with many potentials. There is no doubt that it can be a country that can fully accommodate the World Cup. That much is clear, but do you guys know what the dudes in Russia did to be able to accommodate the visiting nations? Do you know what the Russian government did to make this World Cup the most prestigious World Cup ever? What are the teams that are fighting for a chance to win the prestigious competition? These questions will be answered in today’s article.

What did the Russian government do to make this World Cup a nice experience?

Before we begin talking about the World Cup in itself, it is only right for me to talk about the Confederation Cup back in 2017. This competition is often hailed as a competition to test the next World Cup host’s capability of handling the prestigious competition. Do you know how Russia handles the Confederation Cup?

They handled it nicely. While the Confederation Cup is not standing on the same level with the World Cup, it is still the second highest competition in the hierarchy. It serves to test the Russian water, and when it did tested it, the test result came out nicely. Surveys have been conducted to show whether or not Russia is a favorable place.

Many people told me that Russian is a bad country with bad stuffs. Many also told me that Russia will never be a country that can handle a worldly event such as this one. The results from the Confederation Cup show otherwise, though, as many travelling fans think that perhaps Russia can handle it. What makes them think so?

Maybe it is because of the free transport between cities that hosted the Confederation Cup. Yes, you heard that right, my friends. The Russian government has taken the chance to introduce Russian transportation for free to the visitors, making moving from one host city to another an easy task to do. The Confederation Cup saw 4 Russian cities as the hosts. Those cities are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, and Sochi. Football fans of the eight competing countries are free to travel to those four cities using the Russian railway. The transport is free of charge as long as you got a fan ID and a match ticket of the competition. Free transport is always a boon to have, right?

Not to mention that they also upgraded and turned several stadiums into a place fitting for a World Cup. While there are lots of modifications that many stadiums undergo, nothing is as memorable as the modifications in Ekaterinburg Arena. I, to be honest, have only seen this one modification just now. Ekaterinburg Arena is not a place whose seating can accommodate 35,000 people, so what did FIFA and the Russian government do?

They add a freaking temporary seating. The stands where the fans will be seated jutted outside, making it look weird. It is, however, still in compliance with FIFA’s rule, so FIFA let that one slide.

Now that the host is done, let us talk about the teams

This is another important facet in the World Cup. You cannot have a World Cup without other competing teams, and you can say that the competing teams are more or less the same with the World Cup prior to this one. I shall talk about the teams according to their group draws.

There are 8 groups with 4 teams within, making it a 32 teams competition. The groups themselves are named using alphabetical letters starting from A to H. Let us talk about group A first.

Group A consists of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Uruguay. In this group, two of the most popular choices that people think will go through the group phase are Russia and Uruguay. Those two teams are strong in their own rights with top players all around. While Saudi Arabia and Egypt are often seen as not the teams that could go, Egypt themselves got a world class player in the form of Mohammed Salah. Whether or not Salah could bring Egypt out of the darkness is a different matter altogether, but group A teams should take notice of him.

In group B are Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and IR Iran. This one here is pretty clear if you ask me. As long as the Spaniards do not do anything stupid, they and Portugal will bring the peninsula rivalry to the next phase. Morocco and IR Iran got lots to commend about though. Securing a place in the World Cup is not an easy task, and proficiat to them for being able to do so.

Within group C, France, Australia, Peru, and Denmark are fighting for a spot. France is a no brainer. With the many quality players that France have, there is no way that he will not go through the round. The second place is a bit of a wild car. Either Australia or Denmark will go there. My money is on Denmark though.

Group D is a group that is filled with Argentinians, Icelandic, Croatians, and Nigerians. No doubt Argentina will secure a first spot in the group. The second place might to go Iceland or Croatia. I am sorry Nigerians, but the competitions are a bit tough in here.

Group E got Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Serbia. Brazil is a no competition with their talented players in all departments. The second might go to Switzerland or Serbia, though I prefer the Swiss in this moment.

In the F group we got Germany, Mexico, Sweden, and Korea Republic. My sympathy goes to the teams that have to face Germany in the group phase. With the players they got in the team, Germany will easily trample over the rest of the teams here. That is not to say that the three other teams cannot play well, of course. Korea Republic got a rising star in the form of Son Heung-Min, so there is that.

Within group G is a matchup that could either go wrong or go right for England. England got Belgium, Panama, and Tunisia to play with, and as long as they do not do something odd, they will go through the phase with Belgium.

Group H is what I call the wildest wildcard of them all. In this group are Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan. Japan itself has not been a good team in the world cups before this one, so I think it is safe to say that they will not go through. Senegal is often unheard of, so I will not bet on them. Poland and Colombia might be good choices, so if you want to do some booking, book on them.